Summersault
by ElusiveWisp
Summary: Fairy Tail, the seemingly magical circus on wheels that traveled all around Fiore, leaving its many viewers in awe. Lucy Heartfilia, once a wealthy heiress, manages to stumble across it after running from her father. Traveling with Fairy Tail, she finds true friends and learns what it means to have someone who cares. A modern circus AU.
1. Prologue

**Summary:** Fairy Tail, the seemingly magical circus on wheels that traveled all around Fiore, leaving its many viewers in awe. Lucy Heartfilia, once a wealthy heiress, manages to stumble across it after running from her father. Traveling with Fairy Tail, she finds true friends and learns what it means to have someone who cares. A modern circus AU.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Fairy Tail or any of the characters. They all belong to Hiro Mashima.

The night sky was clear and bright, littered with millions of tiny stars. The constellation of Cancer the Giant Crab shone brilliantly on the Heartfilia mansion. It was a peaceful night for many. One of the few clear nights they had gotten in months. Burdened with rain and the glow from city streets on most evenings, nightfall brought a welcome, serene change.

But the calm mood was not reflected in the Heartfilia household. Instead, a melancholy atmosphere flooded the mansion. The cause? The passing of Layla Heartfilia, mother of Lucy Heartfilia and wife to the infamous Jude Heartfilia. The cause of death was not entirely clear. One day she had fallen ill, and seemingly never recovered. Leaving behind a grieving daughter and a mourning husband. Her death affected all that knew her, and some would never completely overcome her passing.

Lucy Heartfilia was only eight years old when her mother left her forever. Intelligent for her age, it broke servants' hearts when she asked why her mother wasn't waking up. When she asked if her mother could play tea party with her. When she asked if her mother could resize the dress she had outgrown. Eventually, Mrs. Spetto had pulled Lucy aside and told her of the horrible reality.

Then began the five stages of grief.

Denial. Lucy refused to believe her mother was dead, as most young children would do. She persuaded the cooks to help her make cookies to make Mama feel better. She barely tolerated dress fittings, claiming them uncomfortable and saying if they got her mother, she could get something pretty and comfortable. The seamstresses only shook their heads in sadness at the child's defiance. The dresses were all black.

Anger. When her mother didn't accept her gifts, Lucy would throw a mini tantrum. Startled, the maids tried to placate her only to be faced with a crying child. Often times, the Heartfilia heiress would cry herself to sleep in front of her mother's room, leaving the maids to carry her to her personal quarters.

Bargaining. Lucy begged the heavens to take her instead. Leave her kind and beautiful mother alone and take her. Layla didn't deserve to go. She's done everything right and Lucy? In her own eyes, she's done everything wrong. She wasn't graceful like her mother. She wasn't quiet and soft-spoken. Lucy pleaded for her mother's life in exchange for hers.

Depression. Before her mother's unfortunate passing, it was rare to see Lucy cry. A joviant child, pleased with the smallest things and accepting when she didn't get her way, most of the time. However, after Layla's death, things quickly began to change. Her smile she plastered on for everyone to see fooled only fooled her father's business associates who came to offer their condolences on Layla's death Maybe she didn't cry on the outside in public, but she certainly cried on the inside. Behind closed doors though, she was a mess. The front of her pillow was usually damp after long days and she only responded to her personal maids. Lucy started to refuse meals, until Mrs. Spetto talked to her.

Acceptance. The day of the funeral had come. As morbid as it sounded, today was the day Layla Heartfilia would be lowered into the ground and leave a headstone in her place. By now, Lucy had come to terms with her mother's death and stood quietly by her father. Every so often, shedding a tear as the eulogy was recited. Neither her father or her had the strength to talk about Layla so soon, and the eulogy was spoken by none other than Grammi Mu, one of Layla's close friends and once was a servant. The Heartfilia heiress wore a black dress that fit her like a glove, yet she still wanted to rip it to shreds. Her mother was gone. This was her mother's funeral.

Over the years, more and more people tried to take advantage of the Heartfilia Conglomerate now that one of the heads of the company had fallen and the other was in despair. As a result, Jude Heartfilia became more and more stressed out, choosing to focus on business instead of family needs and refusing to take a break despite reassurances from his advisors that everything was going to be fine.

At first, his daughter was understanding. Not wanting to lose the company her father and her mother had built together on blood, sweat, and tears, she did everything in her power to help. Lucy attended parties hosted by share-holders to get in their good graces. She graduated from Mermaid Heels' All Girl Academy. She listened to her tutors and learned about business and politics.

But alas, seven years passed, and she became quite fed up with her father. Perhaps it was the fact she was an heiress. Perhaps it was the fact that she attended all those parties when she had been younger. Either way, her father thought she was an item to be showed off to others. Jude Heartfilia had offered her hand in marriage to several suitors, neither of which she had agreed to marry herself. But he had never listened, and instead decided to marry her off to the son of the Junelle Corporation.

And so, Lucy Heartfilia, fifteen years of age, ran away and went missing on July 7, X784.

 **AN: I'm not claiming to be the first person to come up with this idea, but I do plan on seeing it through to the end, even if it takes me two years 'cause I might update really slowly at times (scratch that, all my updates will be slow, who am I kidding). I'll try to follow main events in the manga, although obviously altered. If you've read this far, you know I changed the years a little bit, though I plan on keeping age gaps the same (with a few major tweaks). I'm also well aware that's not how you spell 'Somersault' but I thought it might fit because Natsu means summer and- well, you'll get it later. Thanks for reading! As usual, constructive criticism is always appreciated, but please no flames. Leave a review or PM me if you have any questions.**


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Fairy Tail. That lovely piece of art belongs to Hiro Mashima.

In hindsight, Lucy realized she should have prepared more. How naive of her, to believe running away from home would be as glamorous as it was in novels. Of course, she wasn't completely unprepared. Lucy had a few thousand jewel, clothing, and a book on how to survive in the wilderness. Said book hadn't done her much good, which is how she ended up in her current situation.

Lucy knew her father was still looking for her. She had been missing for almost a year by now anyway. How she wasn't dead by now and hadn't been recognized was a stroke of pure luck. But, of course, her luck had to run out sooner or later, and Lucy would prefer later.

Walking through the streets of Hargeon didn't bring back too many pleasant memories. The most prominent joyous one being when her mother had taken her on a boat ride when she was six. Nothing else was nostalgic.

Lucy had been to Hargeon strictly on business trips since her mother's passing. She checked the inventory of her father's company imports and attended parties with associates. As such, the city was familiar. However, the sleazy sale people, were not.

"I saw you sell the fruit to a girl for almost a thousand jewel left you-you scammer!" Lucy shouted, embarrassed at the amount of attention she had drawn.

You see, that book was supposed to tell her which fruits and plants were safe to eat. How naive she had been to believe it would actually help. None of them existed in this part of Fiore, 'Or even at all' Lucy thought scornfully. Some waste of jewel that had been. She briefly debated on whether it was worth the trouble to sell it to gain some extra jewel. Lucy scoffed in her head, it might be better to save it for a campfire later.

"Listen Lady I don't know what to tell you. I sell all my items at the same price. You must be seeing things."

Lucy seethed silently and handed over the proper amount of jewels, deciding not to cause anymore of a scene.

Grumbling to herself, the former Heartfilia heir mentally calculated the amount of jewel she had left to spare on this particular shopping spree. Perhaps enough to buy basic toiletries and the proper amount to rent a hotel room.

"No worries my dear. I'll take care of it for you. After all, only the best for the loveliest girl in town." A new voice interrupted.

Only slightly skeptical, Lucy turned to face the speaker, who was conversing with the shopkeeper.

"Here you go my friend. Keep the change as a tip of gratitude from me."

The shopkeeper, happy at the prospect of extra money, accepted the jewel without a second thought.

The speaker, a man, turned to face Lucy and smiled.

"Now what's a girl like you doing in a town like this? Come on, let's find your _father._ "

The way he smiled sent shivers up Lucy's spine, as if that wasn't enough, the mention of her father was more than enough to set off alarms in Lucy's head. She stopped abruptly.

"How do you know my father?"

"Sweetheart, I thought you knew. Your father has been looking all over for you. He's been very worried. Might I suggest getting home to him as quickly as possible? I can offer my services and help you get back within the week." He pierced her with his gaze. "Unless, of course, you don't want to return."

"I- I don't know what you're talking about. Even if my father was looking for me, which he isn't, he wouldn't care for my own safety. He- he knows I can take c-care of myself. Speaking of which, my… friend is waiting for me by the… docks. So if you'll just excuse me-" Lucy tried to say.

"I don't think so girly." He smiled, although, again, it was deeply unsettling. "Your father is offering quite a hefty reward for your return. But don't worry, you won't be going back to your father." He grabbed her arm before she could try to escape.

Frantically, Lucy looked around for any witnesses that could help her. She started to panic once she realized no one was paying attention. Lucy tried to wrestle her arm out of the man's grasp to no avail.

"Do you know who I am?" Her not-so-saviour whispered, "I was once Bora of the Titan Nose Trading Company. However, I lost my job due to your father. The Heartfilia Konzern bought the company I worked at, and I was fired. Now don't be mistaken child. I don't want revenge on your father, although that is a handsome outcome. But rather," He leaned closer, "A lady of your standing would give me quite a nice profit with some of your former suitors. And if it wasn't clear already, a woman of your status would make a nice housewife. Except it wouldn't benefit your father, the money would go to me."

Lucy stiffened, face turning pale from the thought of being sold to be another's wife without consent.

"Now come quietly, and no one else has to get hurt. I have dozens of people who work for me scattered throughout the city. Should you misbehave, I might give the order to attack."

When Bora finally let go of her arm, Lucy yanked it close to her chest and looked apprehensively at the threatening man. Deciding not to attack, for fear of being watched, Lucy obediently followed him through the streets of Hargeon, wondering how things had turned south so quickly.

Maybe it was a miracle she hadn't been recognized earlier, although the reality was, Lucy would have rather never been recognized at all.

 **AN: *cue the mandatory villian monologue* Well, here it is. Between this and the last chapter, the last chapter was definitely my favorite of the two, although I'm not too mad at this one either. I would have (and should have) introduced Natsu in this chapter, but, ah well, you see, as much as I hate to read them, cliffhangers are a guilty pleasure of mine. Maybe I'll be more motivated to write the next chapter. I actually debated on whether or not to stick to canon and throw Bora in there or if I should have thrown Gajeel in there in his place, I can see both working, and it would have set up things nicely for future chapters. If you advocate strongly for Gajeel instead, leave a review! As always, constructive criticism is welcome, no flames… Review or PM me if you have any questions.**


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Fairy Tail. If I did, I wouldn't be sitting in my room writing fanfiction about it. (Let's face it, my imagination isn't good enough to write that masterpiece anyway)

Lucy didn't know if Bora had been lying about whether or not he had thugs around the city, but for her safety and others', she figured it was better to be safe than sorry. ' _Well, maybe not so safe for me'_ She thought grimly.

Bora weaved in and out through the streets, flashing a grin to any who looked at them. Lucy started to recognize the streets around her. They were heading towards the docks. Should they actually happen to make it on a ship, it was very likely she would never see Fiore again.

A sudden crash to their right drew Bora's attention away from his captive for a split second. Dismissing it as a petty disturbance, he continued forward, not taking notice when an alley cat hopped on top of a dumpster to stare at the two.

After all, cats were cats. It posed no threat to him.

More clamorous noises around them finally convinced Bora that something wasn't right. Gaining a suspicious look in his eyes, he picked up his pace, prompting Lucy to lengthen her strides to keep up.

Two men watched the pair from the shadows, whispering to try and stay silent. Although it was hardly needed with all the loud distractions filling the streets.

"That's her alright. The Heartfilia heiress. Why would she be here of all places?" The slightly taller man asked his companion, lighting a cigarette and bringing it to his mouth.

"How should I know? We're not even supposed to be here either. Hargeon is just a pit stop for us, remember?" The other answered.

"Even so. What are the odds?" The first asked, not expecting an answer.

In a rare cause of thought, the second non-smoker avoided the rhetorical question and turned to face his partner. "You shouldn't smoke so often. It's bad for your health."

The other male scoffed, "Like you have any room to talk, pyro."

"Oh yeah? Wanna go, Elsa?"

"Not now, Natsu. If we get distracted you know who will have our heads."

Both of them collectively shivered, not from cold, but from the fear of the angry female.

"Just this once I'll agree with you, Gray. We can't afford to fail this task. Retrieve the Heartfilia heiress, got it."

Despite their unwillingness to work together the majority of the time, the two could get along in order to obey their superior. Natsu's tracking skills and Gray's ability to blend in to virtually any environment made them the obvious choice to chase down Bora of Prominence and Lucy Heartfilia.

.

.

.

.

As Bora led Lucy though the streets of Hargeon, he could almost instantly sense something was amiss. The citizens were quieter than usual, although he could chalk that up to the fact it was later in the evening. Even with the lack of people on the streets, loud clamorous noises could be heard in alleys. A weird blue cat kept on appearing out of nowhere.

In short, he didn't know exactly what was going on, but he was determined to get out of there before something happened.

It seemed luck was not on his side however. As Bora and Lucy finally made to the ship ports, a fight broke out between two drunk sailors. One having dark blue, almost purple hair, and wearing a white coat. The other with brownish tan hair, with a weird hairstyle to boot. Something about dropping a crate on the other's foot?

Bora didn't really care. All he needed was to get Lucy on his ship and he was home-free. Or he would have been, if the blue-haired person's punch didn't hit him and knocked him to the ground.

Disoriented, Bora pushed himself back up, wanting to give the two a piece of his mind before realizing his prize had gone missing.

Furious, his gaze swept through the courtyard. When he couldn't find even a flash of yellow, he turned, ready to sock the two sailors.

Mysteriously, they too had gone missing. Bora seethed, ready to call all his allies in the city to search for a blond-haired girl that looked exactly like the late Layla Heartfilia and the missing heiress Lucy Heartfilia.

.

.

.

.

Lucy had seen the punch coming before Bora had time to react. Seizing her opportunity, she ran. Or she would have, if she hadn't taken two steps before someone grabbed her wrist and pulled.

Not wanting to chance breaking her wrist, Lucy tried to keep up the best she could. Finally coming to a stop right outside a bridal shop.

Her savior (somewhat) opened the door and pushed her inside.

"Get to the back, the dressing rooms are behind the rack on the left. Go." Her rescuer muttered lowly.

Lucy could tell it was a female from her voice. So far, she could sense not malicious intentions from the girl from her voice or actions so far. Taking a gamble, Lucy headed towards the back of the store, hoping this wasn't another cruel trick.

"Quickly, hide!" A higher-pitched and sweeter voice urged. "We'll hold off him and his goons. You needn't worry about a thing."

Looking around, Lucy noticed a white-haired woman that looked far too young to have been that old (if that makes sense). Her eyes were kind but her expression was grim.

"Don't worry Miss Heartfilia, we'll get you home soon enough."

Deciding not to protest just yet, Lucy stayed silent and obediently hid inside one of the changing rooms

"Mira?" Her savior questioned.

"We're all good here. I doubt Bora will come looking in a bridal shop." The sweeter voice responded.

Quiet in the cubicle, Lucy listened to the conversation going on in the shop itself. Faintly, she could hear sounds of commotion from outside, signifying Bora's frantic search for her.

Taking deep breaths to try and calm herself down, Lucy wondered what would become of her in the future.

 **AN: Already I like this one way better than last chapter, but I'm not mad at chapter 1. It set things up pretty nicely for this chapter. One day I will go back and edit it, but that day is not today. We finally got some action in this chapter. I tried not to name drop the characters too soon but I failed in that. I apologize if my writing of the characters seems OOC, I hope throughout the story, my characterization will improve and they will seem more realistic. As always, leaves a review or PM me if you have questions, but no flames please! Thanks for reading, I'll try to have the next one out as soon as I can. (Or whenever my friends pester me, one of the two)**


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or any of the characters. (I'm not crying, you are).**

"Gray."

"I know. Just give me a second."

"But Erza said-"

"I know what Erza said. Can you just wait? Macao and Wakaba are going to be here any second."

Two men burst into the alleyway where Gray and Natsu were waiting. Their panting broke the silence that had settled in the short amount of time.

"Did you lure him here?" Natsu asked.

"We tried. Erza wasn't able to grab the heiress until the last second, so we had to draw his attention another way."

Gray raised an eyebrow, "And what was what?"

Macao looked sheepish, "I punched him."

"You did what?!"

"Hell yeah! Finally some payback!" Natsu hollered.

Gray glared at his partner. "No! Now Bora's going to-"

"How is that any different from when we were just going to grab the Luigi girl and disappear?" Natsu asked.

"Because then we would have the chance to call the police force! Now he's on high alert and probably called on his thugs around the city!" Gray retorted. "We could have returned Lady Heartfilia quietly without a fuss, now it's going to be harder to sneak her out of the city."

"Whose plan was this? It makes no difference either way!" Natsu argued.

Macao stepped in and broke up the inevitable fight that would occur. "Save the quarrel for after we capture Bora. Erza just texted to meet her and Mira at the bridal dress shop. If you sneak her out in a fancy dress or something different than what she was wearing earlier, it will be harder for Bora to find her."

Wakaba spoke up, "You know how Erza is, I suggest not arguing in her presence. Unless you want to face the wrath of Titania."

Gray and Natsu looked at each other, an expression of mutual agreement passed between them.

"Miss Heartfilia, I hope you are not injured. If you are, I can call our personal healer." The redhead said.

"No, not injured. Just… in shock. If you don't mind me asking, what is your name? I would hate for you to go through all this trouble to save me and for me to not even know your name." Lucy replied.

"I don't mind at all. My name is Erza Scarlet and she," The newly named Erza gestured to the white-haired girl next to her, "is Mirajane. At any moment now, Natsu and Gray will arrive, they will escort you out of the main city to where our family is stationed."

Lucy glanced down, "I can't thank you enough. I would have been on a boat in the middle of the ocean if it weren't for your help."

The back door slammed open, Lucy flinched, Erza and Mirajane got into an athletic position.

"Oi! Erza! Mira! Where are you?" A voice yelled.

"Natsu! Be quiet!" Another voice hissed.

Erza and Mirajane relaxed. Obviously, they knew these two.

When the owners of the two voices came into view, Lucy was shocked. The first had pink hair and had a wild, almost untame gleam in his eyes. The second had black hair and wore a half-buttoned shirt. Or he would have been if he had a shirt on still.

"Gray! Clothes." Erza shouted.

The now identified Gray cursed and picked up his shirt on the ground and hastily put it back on.

Mira stepped towards the three. "Where are Macao and Wakaba?"

Gray answered, "They went to go meet up with Elfman near the marketplace. Happy said Bora was heading in that direction. They should catch him any moment now."

"Good. With any luck, the officials should give us the proper amount of money, maybe that will alleviate some of the Master's stress." Mirajane said relieved.

"Master?" Lucy questioned.

"Ah yes, Master Makarov. He's the master of Fairy Tail." Erza took a glance at Lucy noting her confused expression, "He hires us for our talent and attempts to pay us a portion of the money made from our shows. Which most of us decline, instead, we travel around the country as a traveling circus."

"A traveling circus?" Lucy mused, "How peculiar."

Erza turned serious, "Unfortunately, I have to cut our time here short. Gray and Natsu will take you to Master Makarov, who will ensure your safe passage out of Hargeon and back to your estate. Mira and I will go and assist the others in capturing Bora." She smiled warmly, "You're in sound hands, Lady Heartfilia."

"I suppose… I am." Lucy said forlornly.

"I truly appreciate all that you have done for me. If it's not too much trouble, I would like to speak with your Master before embarking on my journey home." Lucy declared to Natsu and Gray.

"Gramps? He won't mind. He'll be happy to speak with you." Natsu said casually.

Just a few moments earlier, the trio exited the dress shop. Lucy wore some of Erza's and Mira's spare clothing along with a cap to hide her face. Gray and Natsu were alert but overall had a relaxed stature.

Gray's phone buzzed. He took it out of pocket (it was a miracle he hadn't lost it by now) and read the text message from Erza.

"Crap. They need extra backup. Bora's making a run for the ports again. Natsu, take Lucy to Gramps and don't let her out of your sight." Gray demanded.

"Pffff. Like I would, popsicle. Don't piss off Erza."

"Unfortunately for you, I don't have a death wish." Gray turned to face Lucy and pressed something into her hands, "If at any time you feel your safety is at risk, light up this firework. First of all, it'll scare off the thugs because they'll know you're under Master's protection. And second, we'll come running."

"Hey! Do you have zero faith in me?" Natsu asked, scandalized.

"I don't think you want me to answer that question."

Before Natsu could retort, Gray has dashed off in the opposite direction they had originally been heading.

"That damn icy bastard," Natsu muttered, scuffing his shoe against the ground.

"Gramps! Where are ya?" Natsu said, strolling into what looked to be a temporary camp. Which it probably was since they were a traveling circus and all.

"I'm right here, Natsu. Where's Gray? Please don't tell me you ditched him on the side of the road or something crazy like that." A short, old man said, climbing out from one of the larger tents. "Keep it down will you?"

"Sorry, Gramps. But… wait. Hey! Did you really think I would ditch Gray like that?"

"Well based on past interactions-"

"Nevermind. Anyway," Natsu pushed Lucy forward, "we've retrieved Lady Heartfilia. Erza and the others are busy rounding up Bora and his men."

"Natsu! That is no way to handle a lady!" the Master addressed Lucy, "Forgive my lack of manners m'lady. I am Master Makarov, the old, senile caretaker-"

"Master, stop trying to guilt trip everyone into forgiving you and just apologize like a normal person." A young voice interrupted.

Natsu's face broke out into a grin, "Romeo! How are you doing? Your old man will be back any minute now. Then we can hit the road!"

"Yeah, about that." Lucy's soft voice sounded, "May I speak with you Master Makarov?" she inquired.

"Of course my dear."

"In private, if you don't mind?"

"Oh! Pardon my misunderstanding, miss. Please, follow me. I'll tell Levy to make sure no one eavesdrops on us."

With that, the Master guided Lucy away from the energetic conversation Natsu and Romeo were having and to a spot near a small stream.

Lucy fidgeted nervously, "I'm ever so thankful for you saving me. I don't think I could ever repay you or the others, but I think you have your facts a little messed up. I… I wasn't kidnapped from my home, by Bora or anyone else. I ran away on my own free will." Master Makarov gestured for her to continue, "My father... I'm afraid he isn't the nicest person in Fiore. I would appreciate if you would keep me out of the public eye and away from my father. I'm sorry for all the trouble I've put you through."

The master seemed to be thinking about Lucy had said and internally debating on something. He finally came to a decision after a few moments of silence.

"Well, we can't have you running around by yourself unprotected. Why don't you join Fairy Tail, child?"

 **AN: I would have written more if it weren't for the fact that I would most likely drag this chapter out for like 3000 words if I didn't stop soon. Anyway, I'm kind of glad about how this one turned out. Not too much action, but hopefully it'll pick up in the next few chapters or so. As you can probably tell, I'm trying to keep characters from entering the story from sooner than they would have in the manga/anime. That scene with Romeo was originally supposed to have Wendy instead. (But I like Romeo's sass better). Read, review, leave a comment, PM me (I appreciate constructive criticism), but please no flames. Thanks for reading! :)**

 **P.S. Special thanks to my AMAZING weeb friend for editing! ;)**


	5. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Fairy Tail. (Why would you think an average American girl would be able to write a manga published in Japan, and written in Japanese, might I add?) I do own this story though.

"So we're going with the cliche 'Run away and join the circus' trope? Thanks, but I don't have any special talents to assist in your performance. I'll have to decline."

Makarov blinked. Once. Twice. "But..."

"I really appreciate the offer. But I'm afraid I have to say no. I really am thankful for what you've done for me, if there's anything I can do to repay you, just let me know." Lucy bowed respectfully to Master Makarov, then turned to leave.

"Wait!" the Master called after the girl. "You don't have to go back to your father. We'll...I'll help hide you from him. There's no telling what trouble you might into if you're off on your own."

"Even with that tempting offer. I can't protect you from my father's wrath should he find out. I can't put you in that type of danger. There's no telling what he will do." Lucy replied.

"We'll just have to make sure he doesn't find out then," Makarov said smiling. "You don't need to have an act yet. If you can help me with all our finances and budgets, I will be in your debt, quite literally."

"I can do that. If you'll have me." Lucy answered.

"Wonderful!" Makarov smiled, "Welcome to Fairy Tail, child."

"Master!" A new voice called.

"It seems the others are back. If you'll give me a minute, I will help you get settled and have Levy show you around." Makarov instructed.

The white-haired girl, ' _Mirajane'_ Lucy thought, turned the corner. "Ah, Master, there you are. We were able to apprehend Bora and escort him to the proper authorities. They gave us the full reward, for once."

"Hmmm. It might be because neither Gray or Natsu went after him. Otherwise, we might be paying hospital bills and property damages." Makarov mused.

Lucy looked at him with wide eyes, unsure of whether or not he was serious.

"Oh, did I say that out loud?" the Master asked unnecessarily.

"Master," Mirajane spoke.

"Right! Uh, Mira, be a dear and find Levy for me, will you? I'll take care of Lucy's assignments and duties."

"Right away, Master!" Mirajane smiled warmly and gestured for Lucy to follow her.

"Levy is our secretary. She helps plan all events and keeps track of all the new laws being passed these days. We have to adjust our acts to stay legal of course."

Lucy nodded numbly. Still trying to take everything in. Her impulsive decision to join the rambunctious circus wasn't yet settled in her mind.

"Mirajane? With all due respect, why would you want someone like me traveling with you? Even if I haven't known you for very long, I've caused nothing but trouble. If my father were to find out-" Lucy began.

"Then we'll have to make sure he won't find out." Mirajane winked. "Fairy Tail is a family. In fact, that's how we started out." Mirajane said as a wistful look came into her eyes, "Fairy Tail, or as we were once known, Mavis's Angels, was an orphanage before we ever thought of becoming a circus. Then the headmistress, Mavis Vermillion, passed away. Present Master Makarov took us to a circus to cheer us up after her death. We became so entranced with Blue Skull's tricks."

"Blue Skull?" Lucy frowned, "But I thought they were… shut down."

"And we had been devastated, but as it turns out, they had been violating the law and animal rights and so the government stopped them for good. We became determined to not follow in their footsteps and be the best that we could while staying legal."

"I…"

"And please call me Mira. Everybody does."

With that, the somber mood had vanished. "Levy! Over here!"

A blue-haired girl attending to one of the tents perked up and jogged over to them. She stuck out her hand for Lucy to shake, which said girl shook gingerly.

"Hi! I'm Levy McGarden, but if you've been talking to Mira, you already know that." The newly introduced girl grinned.

"I'm Lucy." The blond stated. "It's nice to meet you."

"No please, the pleasure's all mine. Here, we'll get you registered and everything. I take care of all the paperwork around here. The Master's just here so we don't kill each other." Levy looked over to where Gray and Natsu were firing insults at the other back and forth. "Although I think Erza has it covered for now."

As if on cue, Erza pushed the two boys apart with enough force they both fell on the ground. Levy rolled her eyes while Mira giggled.

Seemingly out of nowhere, Levy produced a handful of papers and handed some of them to Lucy. Upon further inspection, it appeared that they included some terms and conditions along with a sheet on medical history.

"Sorry about all those papers, they're standard protocol. Your wrist will probably hurt after signing everything. I'll give you a few minutes to read them through and sign if you agree to everything." Levy held out a pen which Lucy took, fully intending on signing.

"I won't have to sign in my blood or anything like that right?" Lucy joked.

Surprisingly, that broke the ice between the two and Levy laughed. "Of course not! Unless you have a blood quill hidden somewhere."

Recognizing the Harry Potter reference, Lucy continued the conversation while reading through the papers. Occasionally asking questions about certain things and otherwise just getting to know each other.

"Hey, where did Miraja-Mira go?"

"Hmmm?" Levy looked around, "Oh she went to go prepare food for the rest of the group I think. She does that sometimes, but everyone loves it when she does. Mira's cooking is heavenly."

"Ah."

Once she finished reading through everything, Lucy went and filled out the medical release form. Last doctor's appointment, blood type, stuff like that. Purposely leaving out her real last name. She felt bad about lying, but if she could protect herself and them, it was a small price to pay.

Reading through the terms and agreements one last time, Lucy signed her name at the bottom of the page with a flourish, hoping her signature was loopy enough so they couldn't read her real last name. Even with lying on her medical form, she couldn't bring herself to fake it on a legal contract.

 **AN: Sorry for the late update! Kay, so I accidentally wrote Black Butler Season 3, except the circus has good intentions (controversial). I swear I didn't mean to. I've never watched the anime. I only found out 'cause my friend started screaming while editing this for me. Now the story's pretty slow right now and I want to fix that as quickly as possible. So… I might have the next chapter be a time skip. Leave a review if you have a different idea on how I would do it, but that's what I have for now. Constructive criticism always welcome, no flames, blah, blah, blah. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed, thanks for reading!**

 ******hi i'm "friend". my good old buddy here wrote BB 3 and SeBAAASSSStiiiiann. :3 i could listen to english accents all day. But don't worry, i listened to sub for most of the episodes. THE DUB ISNT EVEN THAT BAD TO. k i'll stop******


End file.
